Burglarproof device



Jan. 29, 1935.

l. A. FULKS BURGLARPROOF DEVICE Filed April 20., 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet l e0 Ira/I Fulks' Jan. 29, 1935. l FULKS BURGLARPROOF DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 20, 19:53

Ira/ZFuZkS Jan. 29, 1935. 1. A. FULKS BURGLARPROOF DEVICE Filed April 20, 1935 5 Sh eets-Sh eet 4 [razTFul/es Jan. 29, A U KS 1,989,591

BURGLARPRGOF DEVI CE Filed April 20, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Jan. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES rafrsro-rrlcs 1,989,591 I ,BURGLARPBOOF DEVICE Ira Arthur Fulks, Columbus, Ohio I Application April 20, 1933, Serial No. 667,099

14 Claiums.

This invention relates in general to burglar proof devices, and more particularly has reference to a burglar-proof booth through which access may be had only by authorized persons to a drawer, room or the like which is protected thereby.

So called burglar-proof or holdup-proof devices have been previously designed, but in almost everyinstance these devices have been such that the secret of how to gain access to them or rather the valuables protected thereby have been capable of being given away by dishonest persons having knowledge thereof, or by honest persons under compulsion. Thus, these devices have usually been actuated by means of some combination which one person could tell or illustrate to another, or whichcould be shown to another di rectly. Furthermore, they can be Worked by anyone knowing the combination, so that all that was necessary for a person to be able to gain access to the valuables was for that person to learn the combination to the safety device protecting the latter. I-le could then open the same and obtain the valuables as well as could anyone else who knew the combination.

It is the object of this invention to provide a device of the character set forth in which first the combination is such that it cannot be shown, demonstrated, or told. to anyone else in such a manner as to enable that other person to work the same, and second that even though an unauthorized person should by some means learn the combination he could not even then gain access to the valuables unless he were of substantially the correct weight and had one of his hands possessing the same characteristics as the hand of the authorized operator.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of the type set forth in which a person not'knowing the proper manner ofworking the combination, or'not possessing the proper characteristics of weight or shape of hand to carry out the same would upon attempting to gain access to the valuables be trapped and prevent himfrom escaping from the device guarding the valuables.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it being understood that the same are by way of illustration and example only and are not to be taken as in any way limiting the spirit or scope of this invention. The spirit and scope of this invention is to be limited only by the prior art taken in connection with the accompanying claims. I

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like numerals indicate correspond.- ing parts throughout:

, Figure l is a front view of one embodiment of this invention, taken from a point somewhat above the top of thesame, and certain parts of this figure'being broken away for thepurpose of better illustrating the various parts. i

Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the device shown in Figure '1 taken just below the floor of the same."

- Figure 3 is a view illustrating the bottom sideofthisflodr. i I

Figure 4 is'a partial sectional View of the mech'-' anism for operating the various parts'of this device t'aken'justbehind'the rear wall of thedev'ice illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a View partially in section'illustrating that portion of the operating mechanism shown to the left of Figure 1, and. taken just inside the left hand wall. I 1 Figure 6 is a sectional view illustrating the operation of the mechanism for locking the outer door of this device. Figure? is a detail view illustrating one of the elements for locking and releasing the scale form ing theb'ottom'portion of this'device.

Figure 8 a horizontal sectional view of the mechanism actuated according to the shape of the hand of the operator for use in unlockingthis device. V K

- Figure 9f is a view similar to Figure 1 illus trating aslight modification thereof for the purpose of somewhat varying its utility. Figure 10 is aview partly-in section illustrating' the operation ofv a portion of the mechanism shownin' Figure 8;

Figure 11 is a detail of oneof the elements of said mechanism;

r In accordance withthis invention as illustrated in Figure'l, this-deviceconsists generally'of a booth preferably formed of steel having upright frame members 1 at its corners, horizontal frame members 2 at its top and 3 at its bottom. There is also an upright frame member 4 parallel to and. intermediate thetwo upright frame members 1 atthe front corners of this booth. At each side of the boothand between the front and rear upright-fr'ame members 1 there is still another upright frame member '5, The'upright frame members is preferably near to one of the side frame members 1, and the upright frame members 5 are preferably adjacent the rear upright frame members 1. I

The top and sides of this frame are covered. with metal which is preferably of sufficient thickness and strength to resist revolver bullets fired at relatively short range. The rear of this frame is enclosed in like manner, and an additional sheet of metal 6 having similar characteristics extends across the booth from one upright to the other, thus forming a compartment between the rear wall 7 of the booth and the intermediate wall 6. Access to this compartment should be provided from the outside of the booth by any convenient means such as asmall-door 7a which may be locked with a lock 7b. The side walls 8 and 9 complete the formation of this rear compartment and at the same time form the two side walls of the front compartment. The top 10 which is shown in Figure 1 as being partly broken away for the purpose of illustrating the rear compartment has already been mentioned. With reference to the front of thebooth, that portion between the upright frame member 4 and the nearest corner frame member 1 which is shown as being on the left in Figure 1 is enclosed by means of a plate of metal 11, part of this plate being likewise broken away so as to illustrate various details of this invention. The other frame member 1 at the front of the booth is provided at intervals with holes 12 or the like for use in attaching hinges'thereto to support the door which will be presently described.

The floor 13 is supported upon a scale arrangement similar to that used in most platform scales.

With reference particularly to Figure 2, this scaleoonsists-of a pair of cross bars 14 extending diagonally across the booth underneath the floor-thereof. These cross "bars 14 are prevented from excessive downward movement by means of the brackets 15 secured across the respective corners of the boothby means of rivets 16 or the like. At their intersections; the bars 14 are suspended by means of the links 17 to the pivot 13 carried-by the arm 19 which forms a part of the-cross-shapedmember 20. This cross-shaped member 20 is pivoted by means --of its oppositely extending arms21 to the brackets 22 arranged on oppositesides of the booth and held in place by means of screws 23 'or the like. These arms 21extend substantially at right angles to the arm 19, so that the arm 19 may swing about the arms 21 as an axis. Also-extending in the opposite direction from and in line with the arm =19 is a fourth arm 24 having a pair of flanges 25 and 26-projecting laterally from its end. At its rearward end, thearm 19 is pivotally connectedat 27 to an upwardly extending rod 28,

thiswrod being-in turn pivotallyconnected intermediate the ends of the lever 29 at the point 30. This leveris clearly shown in Figure 5 of the drawings and is fixedly pivoted at oneof its ends 31.- Any-downward movement'of the rod 28 tending to swing .the lever 29 about the pivot 31 will be resisted 'bythe spring 32 extending between the pin '33 on thelever 29 and thebracket 34 which is fixed to the rear of the intermediatewall 6. Spring 32'is-adjustably secured 'to bracket 34 by means of bolt 34a extending upwardly through the bracket and held by a Wing nut 341) on top thereof; 1

. As Ipreviouslydescribed, the upright frame memberll which appears at the right of Figure 1 is provided with a set of hinges 35 on which islpivotally mounted a swinging door 36 which is .preferably made of the same material as the walls previously described. This door is made ofsuch adwidth that it will slightly overlap the uprightmember A bracket 37 is secured by rivets or the like 38 in such position that it will be closely adjacent and parallel to the upright member 4 when the door is in closed position. The door 36 is also provided at the bottom thereof adjacent its hinged edge with an arc-shaped bracket or plunger 39 adapted when the door is closed to enter the scale compartment underneath the floor 13 by means of a small opening 40 provided for the purpose.

The laterally extending flange 25 at the end of the arm 24 previously described is normally engaged when the door is in open position by the rod 41 which is slidably mounted in a pair of brackets 42 on the bottom of the scale compartment. A spring 43 is provided for bearing against one of the brackets 42 and against a collar 44 on the rod 41 for the purpose of resiliently urging this rod toward engagement with the flange 25 to prevent the arm 24 from being raised. At its opposite end, the rod 41 is bent upwardly at 45, and when the door 36 is moved to closed position the bracket 39 entering through the opening 40 is adapted to engage this upturned end 45 of the rod 41 and force the rod 41 against the compression of thespring 43 out of engagement with the upper surface of the flange 25 thereby releasing the said flange and the arm 24 so far as the rod 41 is concerned.

The flange 26 on the arm 24 is likewise engaged on its upper surface by the rod or lever 46 which normally holds it from any upward movement and hence prevents the scale mechanism from being actuated by a weight on the floor 13. This rod 46 is pivoted at 47 intermediate its ends toswing about a horizontal axis.

This rod 46 at its opposite end is normally held upward by means of the hook-shaped projection 48 on the end of the downwardly extending link 49 which is in'turn governed by the operation of an eccentric 50 at its upper end. This eccentric 50 is connected with the rod 49 by means of the ring or collar 51 and a downwardly extending portion 52 within which the rod 49 is secured in any desired manner. The rod 49 and the eccentric 50 are more clearly illustrated in Figures 5, 6 and '7-of the drawings.

The eccentric 50 is carried by a shaft 53 which is journaled in the bracket 54 mounted on the side wall-of the booth and in the wall 6 at the rear-of the booth. This shaft 53 is rotated by means of alever 55 to raise and lower the rod 49, and hence to serve to hold the flange 26 down or to allow it to rise.

The shaft 53 also carries at its opposite end on the rear face of the wall 6 a gearv 56 adapted to be rotated thereby.

Now as will be presently described it is necessary for the scale mechanism to be actuated before access may be had to the valuables protected by this device. The under surface of the floor 13 is provided with four brackets 5'7 secured thereto by means of screws 58 or the like and having downwardly extending notched portions 59 adapted to engage respectively with the arms 14 previously described. Thus when weight is placed upon the floor 13 it will be seen that there will be a tendency to force the arms 14 downwardly thus by means of the linkage 1'7 and 13 tending to pull the arm 19 downwardly and swing it about the arms 21 as an axis, at the same time forcing the arm 24 and the flanges 25 and 26 upwardly. However, as previously set forth, theflange 25 cannot move upwardly until the door 36 is fully closed so as to allow the bracket 39 to engage the upstanding portions 145 .of the rod 41 and move it out of engagement with the flange 25. After the door is closed it is further necessary that the lever be moved to its lowermost position thus allowing the rod 49 to'move downwardly and permit the rod 46 to swing aboutits pivot 47 so that the flange 26;m-ay move upwardly. 1

.Referring now to Figure 6 in particular, there is shown a bracket in the form of a plate having ears 61 formed at its en s. The ears 61 have openings 62 therethrough through which securing means are passed for the purpose of securing the bracket60 to the rear face of the panel or plate 11 on the front of the booth. This bracket 60 is formed with openings therethrough for the purpose of receiving four bolts 63, 64, 65 and 66 respectively. The upright member .4 is likewise provided with a means for receiving the ends of these bolts and the flange 37 on the door 36 is provided with openings adapted to register with the openings in the upright 4 when the door is in ends which are opposite the flange 37 on the door.

Also each bolt is provided with a spring 68 between the bracket 60 and the upright 4 for bearing against the upright 4 and the collar 69 provided oneach'bolt to hold the bolts resilientlyin unlocked position with respect to the flange 37 onthe door. It is to be noted that the ring or collar 51 previously described only engages the end portion of the eccentric 50, and that the remainder of this eccentric is free to act as a cam upon the head 67 of the bolt 64 so that when-the handle 55 is pulled down to release the scale mechanism the eccentric 50 acting as a cam will force the bolt 64 to slide through the bracket 60 and the upright 4 into the flange 37 on the door thus locking the door in closed position. The other bolts 63, 65 and 66 are each operated respectively by means of the cams '70, '71 and 72. These cams '70, '71 and '72 are carried by the shafts 73,74 and respectively which are in turn rotatably mounted inthe bracket 54 and the wall 6 in parallel relation with respect to the shaft 53. These shafts are controlled respectively by levers numbered '76, 77 and 78 which are mounted on the rear side of the wall 6 substantially in the same plane with the gear 56 previously described.

The bracket 54 and the shaft assembly 53, 73, Hand 75 are completely enclosed by means of a housing '79 which may be welded or otherwise secured to the inner surface of the wall 9. This cover or protection member '79 is provided with a slot 80 to permit the lever 55 to be moved from upper to lower position and vice-versa.

Referring now more particularly to the mechanism located in the rear of the wall 6 and illustrated in Figure 4, it will be seen that the gear 56 on the rear end of the shaft- 53 meshes with another somewhat larger gear '79 which is mounted on a fixed pivot 80 on the wall 6. This gear '79 carries on one face thereof a crank pin 81 on which is mounted one end of the lever arm 82. The opposite end of this lever arm 82 is provided with a slot 83 for the purpose of slidably receiving the pin 84 which is on the horizontal arm of the bell crank 85. As illustrated in this figure, the parts are in the position they would occupy when the lever 55 is in its lower position. In this position it will be noted that the pin 84 on the bell crank 85 will be in contact with the upper end of the slot 83 on the, lever arm 82, and thus the bell crank 85 will be free to rotate counter-clockwise about its pivot 86.

The bell crank 85 is at all times resiliently urged in a counter-clockwise direction by means of the spring 87 secured to the extreme end 88 of the upper arm of the'bell crank and to a pin 89 mounted on the wall 6.

The lower or substantially vertical arm of the bell crank 85 is provided with a pin90 a short distance from the pivot 86, which pin is adapted to pivotally mount a link 91. This link 91 is likewise pivotally connected at 92 to a bar 93 which is slidable through brackets 94 fixedly mounted on the wall 6. This arm 93 is normally prevented from such sliding movement by the projection 95 on the spring arm 96 coming in engagement with the notch 97 which is formed in the arm. This arm 96 is secured to the wall 6 by means of a rivet 98 or the like, and is supported against rotation about this rivet by means of the bracket 99 also mounted on the wall 6. This spring arm 96 may be depressed by means of the button 100 in order to disengage the projection 95 from the notch 97. The button 100 is arranged to project through the wall 6 and be operable from within the booth as illustrated in Figure 1.

The bar 93 is likewise normally prevented from sliding movement towardthe right as viewed in Figure 4 by its end coming in contact with the upper end of the rod 101. .This rod 101 as will be seen in Figure 4 is slidably mounted in the bracket 102, and is pivoted at its lower end to the free end 103 of the lever 29.

Referring again to the lower or vertical arm of the bell crank 85, it'will be seen that this arm is provided with a second pivot'104at a point a considerable distance belowthe pivot 90, and that this pivot 104 carries an angle-shaped pawl 105 for a purpose which will be presently described. The end of the lower arm of the bell crank 85 is bifurcated to form the extension106 and the branch 10'7. Positioned between these two parts 106 and 107 is the upper end 108 of the lever arm 109 which is pivoted at itslower end at 110, the pivot 110'being fixedly positioned on the wall 6.

Intermediate the ends of the lever 109 there are provided a pivot 111 and a pivot pin 112. The pivot 111 pivotally supports a link 113 which at its other end is pivotally connected at 114 to a short lever 115. This short lever is in turn fixedly pivoted at its center 116 to the wall 6, and carries at its opposite end by means of pivot 118 one end ofthe rod 117.

This rod 11'? is one of two rods which are adapted to enter the compartment 119 from opposite sides I thereof. The compartment 119 it should be explained is for the purpose of receiving the valuables drawer 120 having handles 121 for the purpose of opening the same. The compartment 119 is formed with laterally extending flanges 122 having openings 123 therein through which securing means may be placed for the purpose of securing this compartment to the rear face of the wall 6. It will be clear that the valuables drawer 120 may then be inserted into the compartment 119 through an opening in the wall 6 formed for that purpose. When the valuables drawer 120 is thus in place, and the rod 11"! is moved inwardly toward the inside of the com partment 119, it will be readily seen thatit will engage the drawer 120 and serve to lock it in 1 closed position.

- With reference to the pin 112' above mentioned, it will be seen that this is received within the slotted opening 124 in one end of the link 125,

the other end of which .is pivotally connected at 126 to the crank or lever arm '77. Thus it will be seen that the lever arm 109 will be allowed to move a considerable distance with the pin 112 sliding within the slot124 without moving the link 125 or the lever 7'7. However, if the lever 109 is moved too far in a clockwise direction, it will be seen that the pin 112 will engage with the opposite end of the slot 124 and move the link 125 to the right thus swinging the lever '77 in a counter-clockwise direction and causing the cam '71 which is on the opposite end of the shaft '74 from the lever '77 to actuate the bolt 65 to further lock the outside door of the booth.

At its lower end, the lever 109 is provided with oppositely extending arms 127 and 128 having a slot 129 formed therein for the purpose of slidably receiving the pin 130 to which is connected by means of the link 131 and the pin 132 the spring 133. This spring 133 is anchored at its opposite end to the pin 134 which is mounted on the wall 6.

It will readily be seen that when the lever arm 109 is in the position illustrated in Figure 4 that the spring 133 will act to maintain it in that po sition, but that when the lever 109 is moved in a clockwise direction, the angular relation between the-slot 129 and the pull of the spring 133 will change and the pin 130 will move along the slot past the pivot 110 until the spring 133 has the eifect of urging the lever 109 in the opposite or clockwise direction.

Pivotally mounted on the wall 6 below the bar 93 and adjacent the free end of the angle-shaped pawl 105 is an arm 135 carried by the anchor pin 136. Rotatably mounted on the shaft 137 at the lower end of this arm 135 is a disc 138 having a series of pictures 139 at spaced points about its circumference. Integral with the wheel 138 on one face thereof is a ratchet wheel 140 the teeth of which are adapted to be engaged by the pawl tooth 141 adjacent the end of the angleshaped pawl 105. As illustrated, this angleshaped pawl is provided with a portion 142 extending beyond the pawl toothl 141, and adapted to rest on the teeth of the ratchet 140 without interfering therewith when the tooth 141 is disengaged therefrom.

The arm 135 supporting the disc 138 at its lower end is normally resiliently urged toward the right as viewed in Figure 4 by means of a spring 143 anchored to the wall 6 at 144 and to the arm 135 at 145. This causes the disc 138 to be resiliently forced into contact with the friction wheel 146 mounted on the rotatable shaft 147. This rotatable shaft extends through the wall 6 and has mounted on its inner end the hand wheel 148 which is clearly illustrated in Figure 1. It will thus be seen that by turning the hand wheel 148 the operator from within the booth may rotate the disc 138 until any predetermined picture 139 comes to a position opposite the window 149 through the wall 6. However, if the operator within the booth is of insuflicient weight he will be unable to see what picture is opposite the window 149 because of the plate 150 which is normally between the window 149 and the uppermost picture 139. If the operator is of sufficient weight however and the scale has been released for operation as previously described, the rod 101 will move downward causing the collar 151 thereon to engage the upper side of one arm of the bell crank 152 and cause it to rotate about its pivot 153. The bell crank 152 carries at its opposite end a pivot 154 to which the bar 150 is attached, and it will be seen that a downward movement of the rod 101 will thus serve to draw the bar 150 from between the picture 139 and the window 149, The operator may then see the picture through the window. The bar 150 is supported in its proper horizontal position by means of the pin 155 carried by the downwardly'extending arm 156 rigidly secured by means of rivets 157 to the bar 93. This pin 155 as illustrated engages in a slot 158 in the bar 150.

Positioned at a predetermined point along the circumference of the disc 138 is a semi-circular abutment member 159 having a hollow face portion 160. When the operator has by manipulation of the hand wheel 148 brought the proper picture 139 opposite the window 149 the abutment 159 will then be in such position that when the lever 109 is rotated in a clockwise direction the end 108 thereof will be received in the hollowed out portion 160 of the abutment 159 and stopped thereby. If the lever 109 is stopped in this manner it will be prevented from moving sufficiently far to cause the lever '77 andthe-cam 71 to rotate and lock the door. In other words if the abutment 159 is in proper position and the lever 109 is rotated in a clockwise direction then the cam '71 will not be actuated to force the bolt 65 into locking position with respect to the flange 3? of thedoor.

Slidably mounted on the wall 6 adjacent the right side of the disc 138 is a bar 161 having a series of notches 162 in the upper edge thereof adapted to be engaged respectively by the series of flanges which will presently be described. The mounting at one end of this bar is by means of a-bracket 163 secured by means of bolts, rivets or the like 164 to the wall 6. The opposite end of this bar is formed with an upwardly extending plate portion 165 having a slot 166 therein for the purpose of receiving the rivet 16'? to complete the slidable mounting of the bar. Pivotally mounted on this plate-like portion 165 adjacent the upper portion thereof is a T-shaped lever member having an upwardly extending arm 168, an outwardly extending arm 169, and a downwardly extending arm 170. The pivot connecting this lever is located at 1'71 at substantially the juncture of the three arms 168, 169 and 170.

' The upper of these arms 168 is so disposed as to lie between the projections 1'72 and 1'73 on the lower end of the plate 156, which as previously referred to is fixedly mounted on the bar 93.

The outwardly extending arm 169 has at the outer end thereof a pin 174 to which is anchored one end of the spring 1'75. The opposite end of this spring is anchored to the pin 1'76, and these two pins are so related to each other that the line of pull of the spring 175 is normally above the pivot 1'71, whereby the spring 175 will tend to resiliently maintain the lower lever arm in contact with the stop 177 on the bar 161. Thus it will be seen that the three arm lever is positively prevented from counter-clockwise rotation with respect to the bar 161, and is resiliently prevented from clockwise rotation with respect to this bar.

At the lower end of the lever arm 1'70 there is provided a pivot pin 178 which is slidably'mounted within the slot 179 on the end of the rod 180. The opposite end of this rod or link is pivoted at 181 to the lower end of the short lever arm 182 which is fixedly pivoted adjacent its center at 183 to the wall 6. The upper end of this lever 182 ispivotally connected at 184 to one end of lever 76 to swing about on the shaft 73.

the-link 185 which is in turn' pivotally'connected to the lever 76 at 186.

The opposite end of the bar 161 from the plate portion is provided with a pivot 187 to which is connected the upper end of the lever 188. This lever 188 is fixedly pivoted at its lower end 189 to the wall 6, and is connected intermediate its ends as at 190 to one end of the rod- 191. The rod 191 as will be seen is exactly opposite'the rod 117, and serves the same purpose. That is it cooperates with the rod 117 in locking the drawer 120 in closed position when it is'placed within the compartment 119.

Now as has been stated the upper end of the lever 168 is between the two downward projections 172 and 178 on the arm 156; and when this arm is moved to right it will consequently move the upperend of the lever 158 to the right; If the bar 161 is free to move to the right, then a movement of'the-upper part of the lever'168to the right will not rotate this lever about its pivot- 171 but because of the spring 175 it will cause the entire bar 161 to move to the right thus swinging the lever 188 about its pivot 189 and withdrawing the-rod 191 from the compartment 119 to unlockthe valuables drawer.

If on the other hand'the bar 161 is not free to move to the right, the lever 168 will be rotated upon its pivot 171 with respect to the bar 161 and f the lower arm 170 will be moved away from the stop 177 thereby forcing the rod 180 to the left. When the rod 180 moves to the left, the lever 182 will be rotated in a clockwise direction thus pulling the rod 185 to the right and causing the This in turn will actuate the cam 70 and cause it to force the bolt 63 into engagement with the door of. the booth and lock the same.

The lever 78 is pivctally connected at its lower end to the rod 192 which is in turn slidably mounted within the bracket 193. This bracket 193 is mounted on the wall 6. At the opposite end of the rod 192 from the lever 78 this rod is provided with a head 194 which is adapted to engage with the end of the short rod 195 adjustably mounted by means of the collar 196 upon the previously mentioned rod 101. The rod 192 is normally urged toward the right. as viewed in Figure 4 by means of a spring 197 between the bracket 198' and the head 194'. If too much weight is placed upon the scale previously described then the rod 101 will move downward sufficiently to allow the rod 195 to slip below the head 194. The spring 197 will then force the head 194 toward the right as viewed in Figure 4 and cause the lever 78 to be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction. This in turn will rotate the cam 72 and cause it to force the bolt 66 into engagement with the flange 37 thus locking the door of the booth.

It has been mentioned above that in case the bar 161 were free to move to the right when the bar 93 moves to the right then the rod 191 will be withdrawn from the compartment l19-to unlock the valuables drawer, but that if this rod 161 were not free to move to the right then the linkage 180, 182, 185 and 76 would be set in motion to more tightly lock the door of the booth.

Referring now to Figure 8 of the drawings, it

of a mans hand, being-open'at one endand closed at the other, and provided at a position spaced a short distance from the'closed end with a partition 199 extending thereacross. Thispartition 199 is provided with a series of openings therepartition 1-99 are a series'ofnin'e push or pull rods designated by the numerals 200 to 208 re-* spectively. The ends of these rods which extend through the partition 199 are continued rearwardly past the bar 161, and are threaded from their extreme ends substantially all the way through the partition 199 as shown at 209. Po sitioned on these threaded ends of the rods 200 to 208 respectively are a series-of bracket members, each bracket member having an upstanding flange 210 by whichit is positioned upon; its respective rod. These flanges 219 each having an opening therein adapted to fit over or receive the end of the rod, and are positioned upon the rod by means of'pairs of nuts 211 and 212 respectively positioned on opposite sides of this flange. These members are likewise provided with main body portions 213 which are normallyhorizontally dis, posed and may extend through slots in the rear wall 214 so that they may be more rigidly guided. Projecting downwardly from each-of themain body portions are a pair of downwardly extending flanges 215 and 216 respectively; These two flanges 215 and 216 are arranged in line with each other, are of substantially the same ,thickness, and are in line with the direction of movement of a respective rod. These fiangesare separated by a space 217- Which is or sufiicient width to allow the bar 161 to slide therethrough. The flanges 215 and 216 are also ofsuch thickness that they will easily fit intothe notches 162 in the'bar 161 and slide therethrough upon movement of the rods 200 to 208respectively. These members which are mounted on the ends of the rods 200' to 208 respectively will for the purpose. of this discussion be designated as stops. These steps are normally so positioned that either the flange 215 or 216 of each of the stops will be engaged in its respective notch 162 in the upper edge of the bar 161. This will obviously prevent the bar 161 from sliding freely in the manner previously setforthr, I

The opposite or open end of the box-like'housing 198 is adapted to receive the hand of the person operatingthis device for the. purpose of obtaining the valuables from thevaluables drawer 120. In this operation, the hand of the operator acts as akey, and must possess the proper characteristics and measurements in order tosuccessfully operate the device. V Q

Positioned on opposite sides 'ofthe comparta pair ofhook-shaped members 218 and 219 re.-

spectively adapted to receivethe thumb and little finger of the operators hand so as toposi-' tively' position the hand with respect to the remaining'portion of the mechanism. The other three-fingers'of the operators handareadapted to be engaged respectively with saddle-shaped members 220, 221'and 222 mounted respectively on the rods 202, 204 and 206. Each of the rods 201, 203, 205 and 207 is provided witha slide,

these being numbered 223, 22 i, 225 and 226, respectively. Guideways numbered 227 to230 respectively are secured to the lowerjwall of this compartment by means such as the screws 231',

and are adapted to receive theslides numbered respectively 223 to 226. Upstanding from each of these'slides is a post or pin member for engaging the hand of the operator between the saesierefin a and between each of e reex mine, lin er resp ctive th s pins or posts es es umeers -zfi 5- s Betatablrm un s n hs e t a d w l of this ql me mfinli a iswedin Figure an in a bracket 236 seemed to the top of this compartrese b e shaft 2371 1 wh chs firmly seeured a. plate member 238-=by means of screws 239 This plate member 238 is so positioned as to be engaged by the upper portion of the operators hand as it is inserted in the compartment, it being understood that the operators hand is to. rest firmly upon the bottom wall of the com-. partment. Mounted upon the opposite end of the shaft 237 from the plate 238 is a. lever 240' to theouter end of whichis pivotally secured a link 241. The opposite end of this link 241 is, connected through the l ver 242 which ispivoted to a bracket 243 on the wall of the compartment to the rod 200 so as to actuate the same. on the opposite wall of this compartelem there is pivotally mounted at 244 on a bracket 245 a curved finger 246 adapted to contact with the side of the operators hand when it is in the compartment. Also secured to the pivot 244 to berotated thereabout by the rotation of; the finger 246 is an arm 247 pivotally connected at its outer end to the rod 208 to actuate the same.

Each of the rods 201 to 207 respectively is provid'ed with a fixed flange or projection thereon spaced from the partition 199 in the direction of the open endof the compartment, Between each of these flanges 248 and the partition 199 there is positioned a compression spring 249 serving to maintain. these. rodsin their outermost position. Each: of the rods 200 and 208 is provided witha flange 250 at a point immediately adjacent the partition 199, these flanges 250 being substantially identical with the flanges 248-. A bracket 251 is fixedly mounted on the-bottom wall: of thecompartment at a point spaced from the partitlijon'. 199, one bracket 251; being provided for e'a'oh' ofthe rods 200 and 208. These brackets are each; formed with an opening therein for the purpose of slidabl'y receiving its rod', and springs 252 which are identical with the springs-249 are mountedon the rods 200 and 208 between the flang s 2'50 and the brackets 251, It will thus be seen. that the springs 252 serve the purpose of holding these rods-200 and 208 intheir innermost position.

In adjusting the device above described, the stops on the ends of the rods 200 to 208 respectively are adjusted by meansof the nuts 211 and 2 12.so .that when the hand of the intended ,operator' is placedin the compartment with his thumb andlittle fingerin contact withproper steps or hooks 21-8 and 219 respectively, the notches 217 in the stops on' the'ends of these rods will all-register and; will be in line with the bar 161-,- thus permitting the bar 161 to slide freely. Being thus adjusted; it will'be seen that nov other handthan that of the operator unlessit possesses exactly the same measurements will position these stopsso that the rod 161 may be allowed toslide. The only otheradjustmentnecessary is that to take care of the weight of the operator. For thispurpose, thewing nut 34b is adjusted untiI When the operator stands on the floor of the-booth the bar, 150 will; be moved; a sufficient distance touncover the picture 139 which is opposite the window 149, and allow it to be seen therethrough, and the collar; member 196 carrying the short rod 195 will not slide past the lower edge-ofthehead194 onthe rod 192.- This adjustment is so made-that it' will take about fifteen pounds of weight-in-addition to the weightof the intended operator to move-thisrod:195 past the edge-of the head 194, The adjustment is also made approximately to the degree that any person within ten; poundsjlighter than the intended operator will move the bar 150' sufiiciently so the picture 139 can be seen. Any person less than this weight would not move this bar sufficiently.

The operation of the above described device is substantially as follows. When the intended operator; wishes to obtain access to the valuables protected by this device, he first steps inside of the booth and closes the door 36 tightly behind him. This causesthe bracket 39 to strike the rod 41 and free it from the laterally extending flange 25. The operator then grasps the lever which is in its uppermost position and pulls it downwardly, bythis act accomplishing three things. First, the rod 49 which is mounted on the cam or eccentric 50is'lowered so as to allow theend of the lever 46 which is in contact with the flange 26 tov swing upwardly about its pivot 47 and leave the scale mechanism free for operation. The weight of the operator then actuates the scale mechanism against resistance of the spring- 32, pulling the rods 28 and 101 downwardly until the upper end of the rod 101 is freed from the end of thebar 93, the collar 151 on the rod 101 moves the bar 150- so that the pictures 139 can be seen through the window 149, and the rod 195 is moved downwardly across the head 194 to a point adjacent but not past the lower edge thereof. Second, the downward movement of the lever 55 causes the eccentric 50 acting as a cam to force the bolt 64 outwardly against the compression of the spring 68 so that it will engage the flange 37 on-the door 36 and lock the door. Third, the downward movement of the handle 55 turns the pinion gear 56 on the rear end ofthe shaft 53, thereby turning the gear 79 inacounter-clockwisedirection until the arm 82 assumes the position illustrated in Figure 4, at which position it will be seen that the bell crank 85 is free so far as: this link 82 is concerned to be rotated by the spring 87 in a counterclockwise direction.

After pulling downthelever 55. to accomplish the results setforth, the operator then turns the hand wheel 148 which by virtue of the frictional member 146 turns-the disc 138until a certain predeterminedpicture 139 is seen through the window 149. At this point, the' disc 138 will'be in such position that the lug or stop member 159will lie within the pat-hof the end 108 of the lever 109. The operator then places his right hand within the box-like housing l98with his fingers and the other portions of his hand in contact with the proper members, thereby moving the stops on the ends of the rods 200 to 208 respectively to such positions that the openings 217 will all be in line with the bar 161 leaving this bar free to slide lengthwise. With his hand still in position within; the housing 198 the operator then pushes the button 100 to release the-projection from the notch 97- inthe bar 93.

Whenthe operator pushes the button that removes the last obstacle preventing the spring 8-7- turnin thebell crank 85 in a counter-clockwise direction; This nowtakes place, and as the bell crank moves in the counter-clockwise direction the bar'93 is slid to the right as viewed in Figure 4 carrying with it the downwardly extending plate 156. The projection 172on the lower end of this plate engages with the lever arm 168 forcing this lever arm to the right. As previously explained, the spring 175 prevents this lever arm from turning about its pivot 171 on the plate 165, and the entire plate 165 together with the bar 161 is moved to the right. It will readily be seen that this movement to the right of the bar 161 will operate through the lever 188 to withdraw the rod 191 from the compartment 119 to unlock this side of the drawer. I e

Simultaneously with the action just described, the lower end 106 of the bell crank has been moved to the right as viewed in Figure 4 thus moving the upper end of the lever 109 also to the right and causing the pin 130 to -slide along the slot 129-until it is on the opposite side of the fulcrum 110, at which time it will force the end 108 of the lever 109 against the stop 159 on the disc 138. During this process, the link 113 has caused the lever 115 to turn about its pivot 116, and withdraw the bolt 117 from the compartment 119 thus completing the unlockingof the drawer. During this movement of the parts, the pawl 105 has also been shifted to the right from the posi-- tion shown in Figure 4 until its pawl tooth 141 has moved beyond a vertical line through the axis of ratchet wheel 140 in position for engaging the teeth of this wheel and partially rotating the same on the return movementof the pawl 105 to the set position of Figure 4. The operator may then remove his hand from the housing 198 and from the button 100 and open the drawer 120 by means of the handles 121.

When he has finished with his transaction, the operator closes the drawer 120 and raises the lever 55 again to its uppermost position. In so doing, he rotates the pinion 56 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 4, raising the link 82at the same time so as to replace the bell crank 85 in its original position. By this movement the bar 93 is likewise reset togetherwith the lever .168, the bar 161, and the bolt 191. Also, the branch 107 of the bell crank will serve to reset the lever 109 in its original position thus forcing the bolt 117 in place to complete the locking of the valuables drawer, and causing the pin to slide back along the slot 129 and maintain the lever 109 in the position illustrated in Figure 4. At the same time owing to the return movement of pawl 105 with belt crank 85, the pawl tooth 141 has engaged the ratchet wheel and rotated the disc 138 so that the stop 159 will be moved out of the path of the end 108 of the lever 109. While this mechanism was being reset as above described, the eccentric 50 has been turned so as to allow the bolt 64 to be withdrawn from the flange 37 thus unlocking the door of the booth. Also, the rod 49 has been pulled upwardly thus forcing the lever 46 downwardly against the flange 26 and rendering the scale mechanism inoperative. This causes the upper end of the rod 101 to slide into the path of the bar 93, and causes the bar to again cover the window 149. The mechanism thus being completely set and the door being unlocked the operator can emerge from the booth. 7

Now if an unauthorized person attempted to gain access to the valuables protected by this booth he must first be of the proper weight. If he is too heavy, then when the scale mechanism is set in motionthe rod 195, slides downwardly past the lower edge of the head 194 and the spring 197 will force the rod 192 to the right as illustrated in Figure 4 thus rotating'the shaft 75 and its cam 72 to force the bolt 66 into engagement with the flange of the door thus securely locking the door.

This mechanism cannot be reset without access to the rear compartment of the, booth through the previously mentioned door which is locked by a key. v The impostor is therefore imprisoned until some person possessing the proper key comes to releasehim.

If the impostor is notsufficiently heavy the bar 150 will not be moved fromthe window 149, and the operator cannot therefore set the disc 138 because he cannot see the picture through the window. If he then succeeds in manipulating the remainder of the device, the lever 109 will not be caught by the projection 159, but will-be allowed to pass on over to the extreme limitof its movemenhthus actuating the link 125 to. turn the shaft 74 and the cam 71, thus locking the door firmly by means of the bolt 65. This allows the end of the lever 109 to pass beyond the path of the branch 107, and the mechanism cannot then be reset except by some person having access to the rear. Again we find the unauthorized operator locked within the booth. I

If the impostor be of the proper weight thenhe must know the proper picture to turn to or else the result will be the sameas just described.

If the impostor be of the proper weight and know the proper picture to turnto, but if his hand he not the proper size and shape, then thebar lfil will notice released by the stops on the rods 200 to 208 inclusive, and this bar will not be allowed to slide when the member 156 movesto the right. Under these circumstances, the lever 168 would be rotated about its pivot 171 against the resistance of the spring 175 untilthis spring is forced past the pivot 171. When-this occurs the linkage 180, 182 and 185 will be actuated to turn the shaft 73 and the cam 70 thus locking the door by means of the bolt 63. Because of the spring 175 the mechanism cannot be reset without access to the rear compartment and the intruder is again a prisoner. y I

' It will be seen from the abovethat in order for an impostor to gain admittance to the valuables compartment of this invention it isnecessary first that he be of substantially the same weight as the regular operator, second that he know exactly which picture to turn to onthe disc 138, and third that he have a hand of exactly the measurements as the regular operators hand. The pictures cannot be seen so that the correct one could be pointed out to an impostor unless the door is closed and the proper weight placed upon the scale so as to remove the bar 150. These pictures are preferably of a series having a close similarity to each other so that they could not be described byword of mouth suiiiciently to tell one from the other. Again, the regular operator could not go inside the booth to demonstrate to an impostor because then there would be too much weight on the scale platform and they. would both be locked in by means of the bolt 66. Thus it will be seen that this device is 'for all practical purposes proof against burglars or holdup men.

In some instances it may be desirable to use a device of the type set forth for the purpose of protecting-a vault or other valuables room instead of merely a valuables drawer as illustrated at 120 in Figure 1. For this purpose, the booth is slightly modified asillustrated in Figure 9.

In this figure, it will be. seen that the. drawer 120 has been removed and the opening therein has been covered by a plate 253 secured in place by rivets 254 or the like. In this figure parts of the plate 253 have been broken awayto show the extension 255 secured to the end of the bolt'1l7, and the extension 256 secured to the end of the bolt 191. The shaft 257 is rotatably mounted in the plate 253 and carries on the rear side of said plate a lever having two laterally extending flanges 258 and 259 respectively. These flanges are engaged respectively by the extensions 255 and 256 when the bolts 1-l 7-and- 191 are looking position, so as to prevent'the lever and the shaft 257 from being turned in a clockwise direction as seen in Figure 9. This lever has a" downwardly extending arm 260 to the lower end of which is pivoted the link 261 having a slotted opening 262 at its opposite end. The catch member 263 is pivotallymounted at 264 on the plate 253, and carries a'pin 265 slidably mounted within the slot 262. At its outer end, this catch member 263 is limited in its movement about the pivot 264 and'is guided by means of a bracket 266 also secured to the wall 6. The locking member'proper 267 is provided at the outer end of the member 263.

The side-of the door 268 has been hinged to the upright member 1, and is used as the door to the vault or storage room which this device is to protect. The angled member 269 is secured to the door in such position as to lie closely adjacent the wall 6 when the door is in closed position so as to prevent tampering with the latching mechanism. Secured to the outside of this door is a horizontal bar 270 or the like which is adapted to be engaged by the latching member 267 when the door is closed so as to permanently and securely lock the same. A handle 271 is provided on the shaft 257 for the purpose of turning the same manually when thebolts 117 and 191 are in unlocked position for the purpose of raising the locking member 257 so that the door 268 may be opened;

The operation of this mechanism last described is identical with'that previouslyset forth with the exception that the handle 271 is turned to allow the door 268 to be opened instead of the handles 121 being grasped for the purpose of opening the drawer 120.

What I c1aimis:--

l. A booth provided with a door, acontainer communicating with the booth, a normally closed locking mechanism for the container, means operated from an element of said locking mechanism for locking the door in closed position, a normally latched weightoperated mechanism for partly releasing said locking mechanism, a latching means for said weight operated mechanism, a door operated releasing means for said latching means, a lever operated mechanism for partly releasing the locking mechanism and including a latching device for the weight operated mechanism, the latching means being operated in advance of said latching device, the said lever operated and weight operated mechanisms being operated simultaneously to released position with respect to the locking mechanism to partly release the latter, pressure operated means for releasing a part of the locking mechanism, and means for completing the release of thelocking mechanism, said looking mechanism including normally held spring actuated parts movable a predetermined distance to complete the unlocking operation of the looking mechanism and to'an extent greater than such predetermined distance for operating said element, means adjustable from within the booth for preventing movement to such greater extent, and

weight operated mechanism for partly releasing said locking mechanism, a latching I means for said weight operated mechanism, a door operated releasing-means for said latching means, a lever operated mechanism for partly releasing the locking mechanism and including a latching device for the weight operated mechanism, the latching means being operated in advance of said latching device, the said lever operated and weight operated mechanisms being operated simultaneously to'released position with respect to the locking mechanism to partly release the latter, pressure operated means for releasing a part of the locking mechanism, and means for completing the release of the locking mechanism.

3; A booth provided with'a' door, a container in the booth, a normally closed locking mechanism for the container, anormally latched weight operated mechanism for partly releasing said looking mechanism, a latching means for said weight operated mechanism, a door operated releasing means for said latching means, a lever operated mechanism for partly releasing the locking mechanism and including a latching device for the weight operated mechanism, the latching means being operated in advance of said latching device, the said lever operated and weight operated mechanisms being operated simultaneously to released position with respect to the locking mechanism to partly release the latter, pressure'operated means for releasing a part of the locking mechanism, and means for completing the release of the locking mechanism.

4. In a theft-proof device, a booth having an operators compartment-and a machinery coinpartment, each inaccessible from the other, means for locking said machinery compartment from the outside thereof, a door for closing said operators compartment, a container for valuables accessible only from within the operators compartment, a locking mechanism for the container within said machinery compartment, spring means urging said locking mechanism toward un locked position, weight operated mechanism normally preventing movement of said locking mechanism to unlocked position and connected to the floor of the operators compartment to be actuated by the weight of the operator to partially release said locking mechanism, door operated latching means normally preventing actuation of said weight operated mechanism and adapted to be actuated by the closing of said door to partially release said weight operated mechanism, lever operated means normally preventing movement of said locking mechanism to unlocked position, lever operated latching means normally preventing movement of said locking mechanism to unlocked position, a lever operable to actuate both of said lever operated means to partially release said locking mechanism and to reset the same, a lock operated by said lever for locking said door when said lever is iii-position to release said looking and weight actuated mechanisms and for movement to unlocked-position when said lever is in its opposite position, a second'lock operable to locks'ai'ddoorwhen part of said'lockin'g mech cessive movement of said part of the locking mechanism,'adjustable hand releasing mechanism normally preventing movement of a second part of said locking mechanism to unlock the container andtadapted to be actuated upon insertion of a hand to which it is adjusted to release said second part for movement, and manually releasable means'normally engaging. said locking mechanism to prevent its movement to an unlocked position. t.

5. In a theft-proof device, a booth having an operators compartment and a machinery cornpartment, each inaccessible from the other, means for locking said machinery compartment from the outside thereof, a door for closing said operators compartment, acontainer for valuables access ible only from within the operators compartment, a locking mechanism for the container within said machinery compartment, spring means urging said locking mechanism towardunlocked position, weight operated mechanism normally preventing movement of said locking mechanismgto' unlocked position and connected to the floor oi the operators compartment to be actuated by the weight of the operator to partially release said locking mechanism, door operated latching means normally preventing actuation or said weight operated mechanism and adapted to be actuated by. the closing of saidvdoor to partially release said weight operated mechanism, leveroperated means normally preventing movement of said locking mechanism to unlocked position, a lever operable to actuate said lever operated means, a lever operable to actuate said lever operated means to partially'release said locking mechanism and to reset the same, a lock operated by said lever for locking said doorwhen said lever is in' position to release said locking mechanism, and for movement to unlocked position when said lever is in its opposite position, an adjustable hand re-a leasing mechanism normally preventing movement of a part of said locking mechanism to unlock the container and adaptedto be actuated upon insertion of a hand to which his adjusted to release said part for movement, and manually releasable meansnormally engaging said locking mechanism to prevent its movement to an unlocked position.

6. In a theft-proof device, a booth having an operators compartment and a machinery cornpartment, 'each inaccessible from the other, means for locking said machinerycompartment from the outside thereof, a door for'closing said operators compartment, a container for valuables accessible only from within the operators compartment, a locking mechanism for the container within said machinery compartment, spring means urging said locking mechanism'toward unlocked position, weight operated mechanism normally preventing'movement of said looking mechanism to unlocked position and connected to the floorof theoperators compartment to be actuated by the weight of the operator to partially release said locking mechanism, door operated latching means normally preventing actuation of said weight operated mechanism and adapted to partially release said weight operated mechanism, lever operated means normally preventing movement of said locking mechanism to unlocked position, a lever operable to actuate said lever operated means to partially release said locking mechanism and to reset the same,'a lock;

operated by said lever for locking said door when said lever is in position to release said locking mechanism, and for movement to unlocked'position when said lever is in its opposite'position, and a manually releasable means normally en-v gaging said lockingfmechanism to preventits movement to an unlocked position.

7. In a theft-proof device, a booth having an operators compartment and a machinery c0m-' partment, each inaccessible from the other, means for locking said machinery compartment from the outside thereof, a door for closing said operators compartment, a container for valuables accessible only from within the operators compartment, alocking mechanism for the container within: said machinery compartment, spring means urging said locking mechanism toward unlocked position, weight operated mechanism normally preventing movement of said locking mechanism to unlocked'position and connected tothe floor of the operators compartment to be actuated-by the weight of the operator to partially release said locking mechanism, door operated locking means normally preventing actua tion of said weight operated mechanism and adapted to be actuated by the closing of said door to partially release said weight operated mechanism, a lever, a lock 'op'eratedby'said lever for locking said door, a second lock operable tolock said door whensaid weight operated mechanism is actuated by an excessive weight, said second lock being non-retractible' from within the operators compartment, andmanually releasable means normally engaging said locking mechanism to prevent its movement to an unlocked position. I v r 8. In a theft-proof device, a booth having an operators compartment'and a machinery compartment, each inaccessible from the other; means for locking said machinery compartment'from the outside thereof, a door forclosing said operators, compartment, a container for valuables accessible only from within the operators compartment, a locking mechanism'for' the container within said machinery compartment, spring means urging said locking mechanism-toward unlocked position, weight operated mechanism normally preventing movement of said lo'cking mechanism to unlocked position and connected to the floor of'the operators compartment to be actuated by the weight of the, operator to partiallyrelease said locking mechanism, door actuated latching means normally preventing actuation of said weight operated mechanism and adapted to be actuated by the closing of said-door to release said weight operated mechanism, a lock operable to lock said door when said weight operated mechanism is actuated by an excessive weight, said lock being non-'retractible from within the operators compartment, and manually releasable means normally engaging said locking mechanism to prevent its movement toan unlocked position.

9. In a theft-proof device, a booth'having an operatorsl'compartment and a machinery compartment, each inaccessible from the other, means for locking said machinery compartment from the outside thereof, a door for closing said operators compartment, a container for valuables accessible only from within the operators compartment, a locking mechanism for the container within said machinery compartment, spring means urging said locking mechanism toward unlocked position, weight operated mechanism normally preventing movement of said locking actuated by the weight of the operator to par-' tially release said locking mechanism, door operated' latching means normally preventing actuation of said weight operated mechanism and adapted to be actuated by the closing of said door to'release said weight operated mechanism, a lock operable to lock said door when said weight operated mechanism is actuated by an excessive weight, said lock being retractible only from within said machinery compartment, an adjustable hand releasing mechanism normally preventing movement of a second part of said locking mechanism to unlock the container and adapted to be actuated upon insertion of a hand to which it is adjusted torelease said second part for movement, and manually releasable means normally engaging said locking mechanism'to prevent its movement to an unlocked position. 7

10. In a theft-proof device, a booth having an operators compartment and a machinery com partment, each inaccessible from the other, means for locking said machinery compartment from the outside thereof, a door for closing said operators compartment, a container for valuables accessible only fromwithin the operators compartment, a 'lockingmechanism for'the container within said machinery compartment, spring means urging said locking mechanism toward unlocked position, weight operated mechanism normally preventing movement of saidlocking mechanism to unlocked position and connected to theiloor'of the operators compartment to be actuated'by-the weight of the operator to partially release the locking mechanism, door'operated latching. means normally preventing actuation of said weight operated mechanism and adapted to be ac'tuated by'the closing of said door to release saidweightoperated mechanism, a'lock operable to lock said door when-said weight operated mechanismis actuated'by'an excessive weight, said lock being'retractible only from withinsaidmachinery compartment, and manually releasable means normally engaging said locking mechanism to'preventitsmovement to an unlocked-position. V

,11. me theft-proof device, a'boothhaving an operators compartment and aimachinery compartment,. each inaccessible "from the other, means for locking saidmachinery compartment from the outside thereof, a'door for closing said operators compartment, a container for valuables accessibleonly from withinthe 'operators compartment, a locking mechanism for the container within said machinery compartment, weight operated mechanism normally preventing movement of said locking mechanism to unlocked position and connected to the floor of the operators .compartmentto beactuated by the weight of the operator to partially release said locking mechanism, door operated latching'means normally preventing actuation of said weight operated mechanism and adapted tobeactuated by the closing of said door to release said weight operated'm'echanism; a'lc'ck operable to lock said door when said weight operated mechanism is actuated by an excessive weight, said lock being retractible only from within the machinery c'ompartment, and means for causing the movement of said lockin'gmechanism to unlocked position.

12. In a theft-proof device, a booth having a machinery compartment, means for'locking said machinery compartment from the outside thereof, a container for valuables, a locking mechanism 'for'the container, an adjustable hand-releasing mechanism normally preventing movement of a part of said locking'mechanism to unlock the container and adapted to be actuated upon insertion of a hand to which it is adjusted to release said part for'movement, an automatic trapping means operable to trap the'operato'r when the locking mechanismis actuated without said part being released, said trapping means being retractible only from within the machinery compartment, and means-causing movement of said locking mechanism to an unlocked position.

13. In a theft proof device, a'co'ntainer, a looking structure therefor, a double latched weight operated mechanism, a lever operated mechanism includingmeans for releasing oneof the latches of said weight operatedmechanism, -'a

booth for the container and said mechanisms andincluding a shiftable door "for controlling access thereto, means opera'ted'by the 'door for releasing the other of the latchesfor' said weight operated mechanism prior=to the releasing'ofthe latch by said lever mechanism, a said mechanisms including means 'for partly releasing saidlock ing structure, a normally inactive 'means for locking the door when'clo'sed, a" pressure operated'mechanis'm for partly releasin'g'saidlatchin'g structure subsequently to the partial release of the latter by the said"-other mechanisms, said structure including a spring controlled normally latched laterally movable device for completely releasing it when moved apredetermined portion of its path of traveLand for'making active the locking'means for the door to "lockthe latter in closed position, "andmeans'ior releasing said device.

14. In a; theft proof device, a 'b'ooth havinga machinery compartment, means'for locking said machinery compartment from" the outside thereof, a container forvaluables, a locking mechanism for the container, adjustable 'hand' -'and weight actuated means normally "preventing movement of a part of said mechanism to unlock the centainer and adapted to' be-actuated by the weight ofan-operatorand the shape of =thehand'of an operator towhomit is adjusted to'=release sa-id part for-movement, 'manually adjustable means for preventing'excessive movement-of" said mechanism toward unlocked positionyautomatic trapping means operable to' trap -the*operator' when the locking mechanism is actuatedtoo far or without said part being released, saidtrapping means being retractible only from within the machinery compartment, andmeans causing movement of said locking mechanis'm toan -unlocked position. 

